With 62 high school teams from five states, including 46 Oklahoma teams, the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition Regional Championship kicks off Friday morning with opening ceremonies at the Cox Convention Center.

The 2014 game will be played by two alliances of three teams each. Alliances use robots to score as many balls in goals as possible during a 150-second match. Additional points are earned by robots working together to score goals, and by throwing and catching balls over a truss suspended about five feet above the floor as the robots move the ball down the field. The competition provides an opportunity to win regional recognition for design excellence, sportsmanship, teamwork, and advance to the FIRST Championship competition April 23-26 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. FIRST is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology. Robot testing and inspection will occur from 8:30 a.m. to noon Thursday. Opening ceremonies, which will include comments from Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and state schools Superintendent Janet Barresi, begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Qualifying matches will be contested throughout the day Friday, with more qualifying matches from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Saturday. Final round matches are scheduled for 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by awards and closing ceremonies. The event is open to the public.